what's white black and hot all over?

The answer is camping in the black and the white desert in Egypt in the hight of summer!
I have just arrived in Luxor and have been in a swimming pool!! It was fantastic after three days of no showers and seemingly endless hours of hot sun with no shade to dive into cool clear water.

Since my last blogg I have developed more affection for egypt. After leaving Dahab at 8.30pm we drove through the night in the heat until about 11.30pm. We pulled up in an empty car park where we were unloaded and with head torches illuminating the rocky path started a less than enthusiastic accent of mount sinai. Camels loomed out of the darkness their white robed Bedouin owners muttering camel camel to the top. We puffed our way up, the sky a beautiful sight. We stopped at the small stone tea stops along the way, our red flushed faces cast with shadows from the oil lamps. We ate chocolate bars and drank coke. At 2.30pm we reached the top disorientated and ready for sleep. We snuggled down on some rocks being bitten by fleas in the blankets we had hired. I slept soundly until 5.30pm when I awoke and looked around. We were surrounded by hundreds of people, there was gossple singing and chanting and the sky was turning blue. We were treated to a beautiful sun rise the mountains around us turining a rosey pink. We decended as soon as the sun had risen to beat the assembled masses. At the bottom we cooked up a breakfast and started the long drive to Cairo.

We arrived in the early evening and were all too tired to get up to much and instead enjoyed the air conditioning. It was an early start once we had been able to cross the busy insane roads of the capital, and off into the desert. We just stopped along the way for extra water and supplies oh and ofcourse we spent the morning at the pyramids. The reason I nearly forgot to add that in as I was very under whelmed and have found much more pleasure and delight in the uncrowded sights that Syria had to offer.

We camped that night in the black desert called thus because the ground is littered with black volcanic stones. We lit a fire and sat and chatted watching the shooting stars above head. The next day it was another long day on the truck this seems to be the pattern for egypt. We drove to the white desert reaching it by lunch time. It was an odd landscape, beautiful white towers of soft snadstone carved and shaped by the weather. I sat under the truck the heat was intense to hot to move until about 6pm so I sat my back against the back mudguards abnd my head fitting perfectly under the spare tyre. In the evening we barbequed and admired the rocks as they became coloured by the setting sun.

In the morining we drove a short distance to an oasis town where we met an artist inspired by the desert. His house is a shrine to the sand and to the rocks, all the walls carved with the scenes of bedouin life. It was a strain to tear ourselves away from the relaxing and cool court yard and to be loaded back into the truck.

We drove all afternoon and arrived in another oasis ton where we were shown on to Mohammed's roof. We explored the ancient mud village nearby before all being allowed a 5 minute shower before supper. Mohammed presented us with dishes of beautiful food which we all tucked into heartly. Then it was a game of dominos and bed as we set off at 4.30am.

And now here I am after a drive from 4.30am through until 2.30pm! A long day.
I think I have pretty much filled you in. I am sorry that this reads rather like a list! Tomorrow we are off to explore Luxor and then on to the coast to enjoy two days of relaxation...bliss! I have become known as one of the trucking girls as I have been riding up front my main job to pass drinks to the driver mike and to keep him hydrated with the water spray as the temperature in the cab reaches into the mid 40s!

Well I must go we are out to dinner and then I think I will hit the sack...our room has air con!

p.s. I didnt explain Al capone reference. Whilst in Dahab we fequented a resturant and bar that served gorgeous sea food and fruit juices called Al capone's.

So there you go I love and miss you all muchly!

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